on DRUMS, with John Simeone

Send us a textReconnecting with an old friend can be a heartwarming and enlightening experience. Imagine being separated for 15 years and then finding yourselves together again, not just as friends but as musicians who once shared the stage. This episode brings you the remarkable story of how I, John Simeone, reunited with the talented Al Quinn, our keyboard player from the band St

Send us a textWhat happens when a love for music meets the classroom? Join me and my longtime friend, Joel Levy, as we reminisce about our musical adventures from the 1980s and dive into Joel's incredible journey from Syracuse to the stage. You'll hear about Joel's early days playing the clarinet in fourth grade, his switch to the saxophone, and the unforgettable moment at the East

Send us a textWhat happens when a high school jazz band drummer from Vermont decides to take a spontaneous leap of faith and move to New York City? Join us as we chat with Sam Merrick, the talented drummer for the Broadway show "And Juliet," who shares his incredible journey. From local gigs in Boston while pursuing a communications degree at Boston University to a serendipitous ba

Send us a textThey say time flies when you're having fun, but never so quickly as when you're jamming with an old friend like Mark Newman. Our laughter echoed through the studio as Mark recanted the time he salvaged a guitar from the trash—a fitting prelude to his remarkable journey from a wide-eyed kid enthralled by '50s rock 'n' roll, to the seasoned guitarist we know today. Th

Send us a textHave you ever found yourself caught between the steady beat of work life and the syncopated rhythms of a musical passion? My friend Don Olsen, a savvy electronics manufacturing business owner, joins me for a stroll down memory lane to chat about our earlier days, the laugh-filled experiences with jazz musicians, and the art of juggling careers with the melodies that t

Send us a textWhen Lee Finkelstein lays down a beat, it's not just rhythm—he's telling a story, painting a landscape. It's a philosophy I, John Simeone, share wholeheartedly. Our recent conversation took us on a tour through the world of drumming, where we unpacked the essence of what it means to truly play for the music. Lee, with his wealth of experience across genres, emphasiz

Send us a textAs a young drummer, tapping rhythms on school desks and dreaming of the big stage, I never imagined I'd be trading stories with a Broadway legend like Bill Lanham. Yet, here we are in a heart-to-heart, delving into the thrills and spills of his career, from the electrifying beats of Les Misérables to the high-stakes world of live theatre drumming. Billy's family tape

Send us a textEmbark on an auditory expedition with me, John Simeone, as I sit down with the inimitable saxophonist Jeff Lange, whose musical tales are as rich and varied as the notes that flow from his sax. Picture, if you will, a young Jeff grappling with the strings of a guitar and the keys of an accordion before the saxophone’s siren call captured his soul. Our conversation d

Send us a textRemember the time our mate Chris snuck in a shrimp cocktail on stage, despite explicit instructions to the contrary? Yep, that’s the kind of deliciously eccentric characters you’ll meet as we take a nostalgic journey down music industry memory lane. Join us and our special guest, Ben Phillip, as we reminisce about our band days, our beloved band leader Gus, and ou

Send us a textEver dreamed of jamming with some of the music industry’s most celebrated icons? Picture yourself backing up the likes of Chaka Khan and Patty LaBelle? Brian Dunne, a renowned drummer, is living that dream, and he's here to share his incredible journey. As he walks us through his early days of jamming with his brother to his experiences with world-famous artists, Br